La Crosse likes to say no

La Crosse has a long history of saying no. Whether it is a baseball stadium or a new road, development deals, or a roundabout, or even a lower speed limit, many in La Crosse like to proudly stand in the way. Our airwaves are routinely filled with callers who don’t like to hear of things new or different. And they are not bashful in their criticism. Apparently some would prefer things never change. But change has been a good thing. Just look at what has happened in this town in the last 25 years. The riverfront, formerly a grain elevator, is now a gem. Many people didn’t like the deal the city inked to build the new Riverside Center buildings along the river, but more than 1000 people work there in jobs that didn’t previously exist. The debate over the roundabout, the motorcycle crash notwithstanding, saw many people tell the DOT what they should do with their money. The growth of La Crosse’s downtown has been remarkable in recent years, with nearly every storefront filled. More people than ever are living in downtown, and it has become much more vibrant and a convenient place to live. Downtown has grown so much in fact, that some are talking about the need for a return to paid parking to accommodate all those shoppers. That sounds like something we should say no to.